COMMUNITY CORNER
THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020
OBITUARIES
COMMUNITY
Briefs
Island City Cemetery
cleanup begins June 1
ISLAND CITY — To facili-
tate maintenance activities,
the Island City Cemetery
will conduct a cleanup the
week of June 1-5. Decora-
tions placed on graves for
Memorial Day that are not
picked up before June 1 will
be disposed of.
View webinar on local
Phase 1 reopening
LA GRANDE — The
Union County Chamber
of Commerce on Tuesday
hosted a webinar regard-
ing Phase 1 reopening to
provide support and answer
questions for businesses
and communities of Union
and Wallowa counties. Key
speakers were available to
provide updates and answer
questions regarding Phase 1.
The webinar is available for
viewing at www.facebook.
com/TravelUnionCounty/vid-
eos/642004343017852/.
Senior center now offer-
ing weekend meals
LA GRANDE — The Union
County Senior Center, 1504
Albany St., La Grande, has
not reopened for on-site
meals but continues to offer
takeout lunch. The meals
are available to all. Pickup is
from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
on weekdays. To arrange
delivery, call 541-963-7532
before 10 a.m. The cost for
lunch is a $3 suggested do-
nation for those age 60 and
older; all others pay $5 per
meal. For your convenience,
the weekly menu is posted in
the community section un-
der the “News” tab at www.
lagrandeobserver.com.
The senior center also
is now offering weekend
dinners (will feed a family
of four). On Friday, call the
above number before 10
a.m. to place your order,
then pick up the meal be-
tween 12:15-1:15 p.m. Meals
for larger families may be
arranged.
Anto Jally
La Grande • 1949-2020
Anto Jally, 70, of La
Grande, died May 21 at his
residence. A private viewing
and funeral will be held.
Anto was
born Aug.
29, 1949, in
Jaluit, Mar-
shall Islands,
to Boob and
Lesmon Jally.
He resided in the Marshall
Islands and then moved
to La Grande. He married
Bona Bellu.
Anto was employed as a
taxi driver and also worked
for the Oregon Trail Moun-
tain Spring Water Bottling
Company.
Surviving relatives
include his wife, Bona;
children and their spouses,
Henty Boob and Femika,
Lesmon Lauror and Pinkal,
Lan Bob and Jamios,
Andrew Bob and Yoneko,
Bob Bob, Wina Jonie and
Kitton, and Otina Libok-
meto and Andre, all of La
Grande, and Mona Atlong
and Tomak of Arkansas;
22 grandchildren; and one
great-grandchild.
He was preceded in
death by his parents, Boob
and Lesmon Jally; sister,
Armi Pejana; and brother,
Gepty Jally.
Online condolences
may be made to the family
at www.lovelandfuneral-
chapel.com.
Victor Abbott
Summerville • 1936-2020
Victor Abbott, 83, of
Summerville, died May
10 in his favorite hunting
place in the mountains
between Unity
and Sumpter.
Arrange-
ments by Dan-
iels-Knopp
Funeral, Cre-
mation & Life Celebration
Center in La Grande.
Victor was born May
18, 1936, in Huntington, to
Robert Wade and Muriel
Ruth (Greenslade) Abbott.
In 1946, the railroad moved
his family from Huntington
to La Grande, where he
graduated from high school
in 1954.
After graduating, Victor
joined the U.S. Navy and
served with the Seabees as
a heavy equipment oper-
ator. He received an honor-
able discharge in 1962, then
went to work for the rail-
road. Later he worked as a
logger and drove log truck,
eventually purchasing his
own truck.
On Sept. 6, 1984, Victor
married Barbara Swope. In
1988 they made their home
in Summerville.
Victor was a devoted
member of the New Song
Community Church in La
Grande. He loved hunting,
fi shing, camping and
spending time in the out-
doors. He also enjoyed
leather and woodworking.
Victor was a loving husband
and father and very much
enjoyed his church.
Surviving relatives
include his wife, Barbara
Abbott; children and their
spouses, Tracy and Beth
Abbott of Nampa, Idaho,
Tim and Kris Abbott of
Fresno, California, Randy
Abbott of Boise, Idaho, and
Shari and Bill Schaffer of
La Grande; stepdaughters,
Bonnie Campagna of Lou-
isiana and Bette Daline
of Arizona; siblings and
spouses, Wade Abbott of
Port Orchard, Washington,
Kay and Harold Rogers
of La Grande, Nancy Sar-
gent of Telocaset, and Jim
and Mary Abbott of Deer
Park, Washington; 18
grandchildren and seven
great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in
death by his parents, Robert
and Muriel Abbott.
Memorial contribu-
tions may be made to New
Song Community Church,
3008 Cove Ave., La Grande
PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT
MONDAY
10:49 a.m. — La Grande
police responded to the 1200
block of Hall Street on a report
of a fi ght. When police arrived,
no one wanted to pursue
charges.
11:04 a.m. — A caller
reported a mudslide on U.S.
Forest Service Road 51 near
La Grande. Dispatch relayed
the information to the Forest
Service.
12:43 p.m. — La Grande
police received a report of
juveniles setting off fi reworks
near Grande Ronde Hospital,
900 Sunset Drive. An offi cer
responded but did not fi nd
them.
6:49 p.m. — The Union
County Sheriff’s Offi ce
received a request to send a
deputy to a La Grande location
for a possible sex crime.
7:20 p.m. — The Union
County Sheriff’s Offi ce re-
sponded to the 59000 block
of Five Point Creek Road, La
Grande, on a report of a suspi-
cious person. A deputy arrest-
ed William Robert Sharp, 35,
of La Grande, on accusations
of driving under the infl uence
of intoxicants, reckless driving
and hit-and-run.
11:11 p.m. — La Grande
police responded to Jakob
Avenue on a complaint about
a loud party. The people there
agreed to turn down the
music.
TUESDAY
12:12 a.m. — The Flying J
Travel Plaza, 63276 Highway
203, La Grande, reported
receiving counterfeit money. A
Union County sheriff’s deputy
will follow up.
7:45 a.m. — A La Grande
resident asked to speak to an
offi cer about fraud. An offi cer
explained options.
10:33 a.m. — A caller report-
ed possible wolf depredation
on the 68900 block of Hindman
Road, Elgin.
12:48 p.m. — A caller
reported possible cougar
depredation on the 70500
block of Follett Road, Elgin. A
Union County sheriff’s deputy
responded and took a report.
3:29 p.m. — The Union
County Sheriff’s Offi ce re-
ceived a report of a burglary at
a residence on the 64000 block
of Woodell Lane, La Grande.
11:27 p.m. — La Grande
police responded to V Avenue
and Spruce Street on a com-
plaint about juveniles making
noise. An offi cer located a
hit-and-run and planned to
follow up.
Former
La Grande
resident
honored
by college
Upcoming local
services are
pending due to
efforts to curb
the spread of
the
coronavirus.
97850. Online condolences
may be left at www.daniels-
knopp.com.
Leah A. Lippert
La Grande
Leah A. Lippert, 75, of
La Grande, died May 26 at
a local care facility. Love-
land Funeral Chapel & Cre-
matory will be handling the
arrangements.
BIRTHS
GRANDE RONDE HOSPITAL
BEDOLLA MURILLO: To Angela R. Bedolla Murillo
and Isai S. Bedolla Murillo, of La Grande, a son, Adrian
Gonzalo Bedolla Murillo, May 2 at 3:37 a.m.
CAROLLO: To Brianna Kay Carollo and Paul Joseph
Carollo, of La Grande, a daughter, Odette Corene Carollo,
May 12 at 8:08 a.m.
GINGERICH: To Michelle Brittany Gingerich and
Matthew Wyatt Gingerich, of Imbler, a daughter, Melissa
Anne Gingerich, May 5 at 2:13 p.m. Grandparents are
Monte and Irene Gingerich and Timothy and April Olds.
LANGFORD: To Kelli Eileen Langford and Kyle
Robert Langford, of La Grande, a daughter, Hallie Eileen
Langford, May 12 at 5:49 p.m.
MURRY: To Shannon Sue Murry and Josey Montana
Murry, of Elgin, a daughter, Huxon Grace Murry, May 5
at 4:59 a.m. Grandparents are Kathryn Schaffner, Sparky
Murry, Pam Strickland and Mark Strickland.
RATILMAI LEMARI: To Twylaine Nyia Ratilmai
and Raphael Lobo Lemari, of La Grande, a son, Joshua
Ejay Ratilmai Lemari, May 7 at 6:43 a.m.
THOMPSON: To Nina Rose Thompson, of La Grande,
a daughter, Aliza Marie Thompson, May 6 at 8:08 a.m.
Grandmother is Kim Lauricella.
HONORS
Union County students
awarded scholarships
Observer staff
The Observer
SALEM — A native
of La Grande received
the Julie Aberdroth Pro-
fessor of the Year Award
from the Willamette Uni-
versity Student-Athlete
Advisory Committee.
Lucas
Ettinger is
an assistant
professor of
exercise and
health sci-
ence at the
Ettinger
private uni-
versity in Salem, grew
up in La Grande and is
a 2002 graduate of La
Grande High.
Willamette University
presents the award each
year to honor teachers
whose dedication to Wil-
lamette student-athletes
goes beyond the class-
room, according to the
university’s press release.
Ettinger and pre-
vious recipients of the
award have demon-
strated devotion to the
pursuit of excellence by
student-athletes at Wil-
lamette in academics
and athletics. Gene Per-
le-Jones, committee
member and member of
the university’s men’s
tennis team, nominated
Ettinger.
“He is a great pro-
fessor because he has
energy, he clearly loves
what he does, and wants
to share that passion with
his students,” Perle-Jones
said. “He is under-
standing, keeps class
interesting with activities
and jokes, and wants his
students to succeed.”
THE OBSERVER — 3A
Photo by Ben Lonergan/EO Media Group
Cook Memorial Library is moving toward reopening and plans to have takeout-style
checkout and book drops back in action Monday.
Library moves to reopen some features
By Sabrina Thompson
The Observer
LA GRANDE —
Cook Memorial Library
is taking gradual steps
to reopen to the public
with takeout-style book
checkout and book drops
opening June 1.
The La Grande public
library is in Phase 2 of its
reopening and on June 8
will enter Phase 3.
Under Phase 2, staff
return to the library but
the building remains
closed to the public. The
library announced it will
reopen the book drops
Monday.
When the library enters
Phase 3, patrons will be
able check out books,
either online or by calling
ahead, and pickup will be
curbside. The library will
continue to hold off on
making users pay overdue
fi nes.
Also during Phase 2,
the library will limit the
hours staff work and con-
tinue to hold classes and
programs digitally. The
staff is working on plans
for accepting books and
getting them back onto the
shelves while maintaining
proper sanitization. The
library must maintain a
30-day supply of nitrile
gloves, hand sanitizer and
disinfecting wipes with
additional supplies on
order. Temperature checks
and proper social dis-
tancing rules also are in
effect.
Phase 3 will limit
access to the building
to employees only. The
number of staff and
their hours will return
to pre-pandemic levels.
However, many of the
nondigital services will
remain closed, including
the coffee cart and volun-
teer services. The library,
though, will expand its hot
spot lending program and
will allow computer use
by appointment.
“The pandemic laid
bare the digital divide that
exists within our commu-
nity with many calls for
computer/internet access,”
library director Kip Rob-
erson said. “The library
has made the decision to
expand its hot spot lending
program (10 additional
hot spots are on order) and
will explore the possibility
of bundling a hot spot with
a device for checkout; a
community partnership
may be required to iden-
tify those who would
benefi t most from such a
service.”
The plan details Phases
4-6, with each being led
by the rate of infection in
the community and the
risk to the public. Phase
4 is a grab-and-go model
with the doors open but
limited access. Phase 5
opens the building more
with social distancing
measures relaxed.
Roberson described
Phase 6 as the library
under its “new normal.”
This fi nal phase means the
library is fully open to the
public as it was before the
pandemic. Protocols for
disinfecting and sanitiza-
tion are to be followed.
These last three phases
do not have a timeline, and
according to the plan, the
library can go back to any
previous phase if needed
to protect public health.
LA GRANDE — La
Grande senior Lara Insko
was awarded a unique schol-
arship that few could reach
— a scholarship from the
Portland Skyliners Tall
Club, an affi liate of Tall
Clubs International.
The scholarship takes
into account students’
grades and activities —
Inkso carries a 4.0 GPA and
was heavily involved in ath-
letes, clubs and activities at
LHS as well as at church —
but they also must be a cer-
tain height. Female appli-
cants have to stand at least
5-foot-10 — Insko met this
at 6-foot-0 — and males
must be at least 6-foot-2.
In addition to the current
$1,000 scholarship, the
Gonzaga-bound Insko is
now in the running for an
additional $1,000 scholar-
ship from Tall Clubs Inter-
national Foundation, which
should be announced later
this summer.
And in Baker City,
Oregon Trail Electric Coop-
erative recently selected
26 students to receive col-
lege scholarships. Twen-
ty-two $5,000 scholarships
were awarded to graduating
high school students and
returning college students.
This year, OTEC and
Eastern Oregon University,
La Grande, partnered to
launch a new program, the
OTEC-EOU Rural Schol-
arship, which pays all tui-
tion and fees if the student
commits to graduating from
EOU. Four students were
awarded this scholarship.
Applicants for schol-
arships must be an active
OTEC member in good
standing with the coopera-
tive or a dependent of such a
member to be eligible for the
scholarship. The awards are
funded from interest earned
on unclaimed capital credits.
Les Penning, OTEC’s
chief executive offi cer,
stated in a press release,
“By allocating four of our
scholarships to this pro-
gram and leveraging a
matched investment from
EOU we can invest in our
local communities directly,
support local students and
return value to OTEC mem-
ber-owners through the
internship projects that
the students will complete
throughout their four years
at EOU.”
Two of the four awarded
an OTEC-EOU Rural Schol-
arship are La Grande High
School students: Josie Born-
stedt and Nathan Reed.
Union County students
who were chosen for one
of OTEC’s $5,000 College
Scholarships are graduating
La Grande High School
seniors Julie Chandler,
Lara Insko, Brittany Robles
Jimenez, Keith Oswald,
Katie Perry and Blaine
Shaw; and returning college
students Alexandra Colton
(Oregon State University)
and Cody Singer (Arizona
State University).
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